Dems lose Murtha war chest to charity

John Murtha’s war chest has slipped through the hands of House Democrats — headed instead for a namesake foundation established by his wife.

That’s bad news for a party that’s been spending heavily to keep the late power baron’s politically competitive Pennsylvania 12th District in its column.

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Democrats, who failed in their efforts to get Joyce Murtha to run for her husband’s seat, had hoped to at least get their hands on a treasury of as much as $167,824 in leftover primary election funds. The money could have been transferred to help defray the $471,577 they’ve already spent in trying to elect former Murtha aide Mark Critz in a May 18 special election.

Instead, the bulk of the remaining cash is designated for the John P. Murtha Foundation, established to create a center for public service at the University of Pittsburgh’s Johnstown campus and continue the legendary lawmaker’s work in bolstering the educational opportunities and economic fortunes of his hardscrabble district.

“The majority of the money is going to that foundation,” a source familiar with Joyce Murtha’s plans told POLITICO.

Adding a bit of insult to the party’s injury, Murtha has been recruiting lawmakers of both parties to help raise money for the foundation.

Florida Rep. Bill Young, John Murtha’s longtime opposite number as the chief GOP defense appropriator, told POLITICO that Joyce Murtha has asked him and Norm Dicks, Murtha’s successor as Defense Appropriations Subcommittee chairman, to act as co-chairmen for a foundation fundraising event tentatively planned for May 26 at the Army Navy Country Club in Northern Virginia. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a close Murtha friend and political ally, is scheduled to headline the event, according to her aides.

“I agreed without any hesitation,” Young said.

Dicks told POLITICO that he was unsure if the House ethics committee would allow members to participate in Murtha Foundation events and did not comment on any discussions he may have had with Joyce Murtha.

Under House ethics rules, lawmakers may solicit funds for charitable organizations, but they are not allowed to formally control the activities of such groups. Such work must not be related to members’ official duties.

In addition, no direct personal benefit can accrue to the members involved in the solicitation, and “registered lobbyists or agents of foreign principals may not be targeted.” A company or trade association that employs lobbyists may give to the charity, however.

A spokesman for the Murtha family did not comment for this report.

During his 36 years in Congress, Murtha made an art form of using federal appropriations as seed money for small defense firms and nonprofit organizations in western Pennsylvania that could compete for Defense Department contracts. Over time, a coterie of major defense contractors established operations in western Pennsylvania, bringing jobs and business to the local economy, along with controversy for Murtha, who was hounded by ethics watchdogs and anti-earmark groups in the last few years of his life.